Mattress



Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES ,SEWALL Q. BOLLINS, OF BANGOR, MAIE.

MATTRESS.

Application filed September 11', 1924. Serial No. '37,0'?6.v

In mattress making various materials or combinationsV of material have been employed and variously embodied to produce that desired support of thebody during the hours of rest which constitutes so large and so important a part of life.

One of the materials of comparatively recent standard adoption is the kapok fibre or improperly so called silk floss. This material, of ancient utility on its native soil has come to a general recognition and use in modern mattress making Without having had general appreciation of its properties.l

Specifically it has been found to be armattress filler secondA only to the much vmore eX- pensive hair fillings, but having some advantages over hair fillings.

Its problem factor is that of its advantage. It is a brous, silky, non-compacting material. It is hollow or cellular and in character apparently 'strongly adsorptive of air. Unfortunately'it has `its limits of endurance and cannot be successfully stuffed or hand packed in place. General practice has established blower methods as the-best means of lodging the material in the place desired. Such methods are of necessity unequal in ultimate desired distribution. This has necessitated the beating out of mattresses to redistribute the material and particularly to build up corners and sides. Unfortunately such building up had to come from central expulsion. The general or average result was a depletion or overworking ofthe material at the centre of the mattress. This was partly understood or at least suspected, but

it was not known how commercially to get distribution with anything like predetermined relationto center values.

The matter of such values is of greatest importance in view of the material which is involved as a. characteristic factor inthe presentV problem.

I have found that kapok, while of the most extraordinary fluiiiness and of mass eXtension is considerably self dependent upon its internal mass relation. In otherwords, in isolated strands or small masses, it soon begins to disintegrate or chowder under wear. c

' rated on the line b`0 provided. It has been recognized that about 40 pounds was really neededjfor substantial Wear. c The difficulty has apparently` been in giving to the mattress that necessary localized massbywhich its life at its vital centres might be sustained. The usual mattress failed at just the point ofv its maximum strain. A mattress whether usedas single or double7 invariably shows maximum depression usage7 at about its center, i. e. the hip line of the incumbent or incumbents.

This unfortunately wasjust the spot of necessary attack in the' beating outprocess. This being true my present invention finds ample foundation in theory to explain theimmediate practical successful results. v As illustrative of my method and as showing 'a characteristic article produced in accordance therewith I have shown in the accompanying drawing views intended to show practical theory though somewhat diagraminatical form. 'l

Throughout' specification and 'drawingigls 'like reference characters are employed to' illustrate corresponding parts.

In the drawings: c

Fig. l Ais a diagrammatic View ofthe .first step in this method of forming amattress in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar View of the second step.

F ig. 3 represents the third step.

Fig. 4 shows a ci'oss section of a filled mattress, and l Fig. 5 a similar section of tlie'finishedmattress.

In practice I have made a shell or tick l of usual mattress form. In this is vembodied a wall a preferably dividing the shell l into chambers A, B and C.

The chambers Band .C may be continuous but preferably are separable and are sepamethod. f

The central drum "or wall a provides the chamber A which I fill first preferably slightlyl above normal by weight as this region must still be the central distributing point of lateral pressures. i

When this central chamber A is filled as shown in Fig. 1, the opening in its wall a is sewed up and the filling pipe S shifted to one side of the tick as shown inFig. 2. At this point I close up the opposite end of the tick at the line b-c by anytemporary fastening so that the kapok is directed into lthe chamber B.

in the course of my "When this portion of the mattress has received its predetermined weight of lling, the filling pipe S is shifted in alinement with the chamber C into which a vcorresponding weight of material is blown. rThe ends of the tick are then sewed up.

The mattress now only requires `slight leveling. During such leveling the chamber A acts as an internal expansion member which transmits pressure to all parts of the mattress filling out the corners and sides without being itself sliced.

As a result I am able to produce mattresses having necessary mass of filling in each poi tion thereof and furthermore I am abie to produce the mattress with a minimum of violence to the fibres in the center of the mattress.

At this stage, such a mattress would appear in cross section vsomewhat as illustrated in Fig. 4. The walls a of the central chamber are referably slightly deeper than the outer shel of the mattress so as to permit the slight over-filling of chamber A. V-Vhen the mattress is tufted and drawn down as in Fig. 5 it becomes .substantially level. The central i chamber A draws down substantially to the plane of the rest of the mattress.

While I have discussed my invention in connection with a mattress entirely filled with kapok it will be understood that other materials may be variously combined if desired. The different chambers might be filled with grades of kapok or of different materials and the steps might be varied in accordance with the materials used. The chamber A might be independently made and filled and might be otherwise initially expanded. I do not wish to be unreasonably limited .to the particular fibre herein discussed. I do point out,

however, that my invention is a. very clear one in connection with such fibre as kapok and that such fibre is of great value if successfully used as in accordance with my invention. Furthermore my invention is not to be construed or limited to any particular weights or proportions, even lmattresses of lighter weight, if proper distribution of the filling is maintained in predetermined relation, will be found to Vhave greatly increased life.

'In the case of hair or felt mattresses, the

vfilling is ynot,'of course, placed in the chambers by blower process, but the central chamber of any mattress constructed in accordance with my invention, has a relatively larger amount of filler than the outer shell. The amount may, of course, vary according to the nature of the filler, but regardless of the kind of filler, I believe any mattress made in accordance with my invention has longer nlife and affords more continued satisfaction lthan eXperienced'with Vmattresses heretofore otherwise constructed.

That I therefore vclaim and Idesire to secure by Letters Patent is zl. The method of making a mattress consisting in vertically dividing the mattress tick to define a central chamber and a marginalsurrounding chamber, in filling said central chamber with a. relatively large amount of suitable mattress filling and seat ing said chamber, in dividing said marginal surrounding area and filling first one half and then the other haif thereof with a relatively less dense amount of mattress filling and closing .each half of said dividedv surrounding chamber and levelling said central chamber and said surrounding chamber to form a ma`ttress.

v2. The method of making a mattress consisting in subdividing the tick container to produce a central chamber and leaving about said central chamber a marginal surrounding space, in first filling said central chamber with suitable mattress filling, sealing said chamber, in subdividing said marginal space, and first filling one-half of said marginal surrounding space and closing the same and then filling the other half and closing the same, and in levelling said chambers to form a mattress.

3. lIhe method of making a mattress consisting in v-ertically dividing a mattress tick into a central compartment by means of a strip of ticking attached tothe top and bottom of the mattress tick at predetermined points, in stuffing said central compartment and leaving thereabouta marginal surrounding space, in dividing said marginal surrounding space and stufiing said marginal space with a relatively less dense amount of filling than is contained in said central compartment, and in levelling the whoie to form a mattress.

e. The method of making a mattress consisting in vertically dividinga mattress tick into a central compartment by means of a strip .of ticking attached to the top and bot- `tom of the mattress tick at predetermined points, in stufiing said central compartment and leaving thereabout a marginal surrounding space, and in stuffing said marginal surrounding space with a relatively less dense amount of filling, yand in levelling the whole to form a mattress.

5. A mattress comprising a container having top, bottom and side walls, a vertically `disposed inner wall composed of strips of ticking attached to the top and bottom walls of the container and defining a central chainber, a marginal surrounding chamber between the wail of said central chamber and the side walls of said mattress container, a relatively dense fillinglof-suitable material yin said central chamber and a relatively .less dense filling in said `marginal surrounding chamber, and tufting members drawing said .densely filled centrai chamber to the level of said less ldensely vfilled marginal surrounding chamber.

6. A mattress comprising a container having top, bottom and side walls, a vertically disposed inner wall composed of strips of ticking attached to the top and bottom walls of the container and deiining a central chamber, a marginal surrounding chamber between the wall of said central chamber and the side walls ot' said mattress container, a relatively dense filling of suitable material in said cen'- tral chamber and a relatively less dense iilling in said marginal surrounding chamber.

7. A mattress comprising a container having top, bottom and side walls, a vertical dividing wall between said top and bottom walls defining a central chamber, said dividing` wall and side walls defining a marginal chamber l surrounding said central chamber, a relatively dense `filling Within said central chamber, and a lilling of other density than the density of said central chamber filling within said marginal chamber.

8. A mattress comprising a container having top, bottom and side walls, a member connecting said top and bottom walls and spaced inwardly from said side walls to define a cen-` other density than the density of said central chamber illing within said marginal chamber.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

SEVALL Q. ROLLINS. 

